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Friday, 24 April 2015

April 29th is National Canadian Film Day. A day
to stand together with your fellow Canadians from coast to coast to celebrate homegrown
films! The Fort McMurray Filmmakers Association, the Keyano Theatre and Arts
Centre, and REEL Canada have partnered to present this exciting event.

“In the words of an old friend, ‘Hollywood is not a real
place’. It's a common misconception that great cinema only comes from "Hollywood". The more we get involved in National Canadian Film Day,
the more I realize that you can make a great film anywhere in the world. Even
though I think Wood Buffalo filmmakers have proven this on many occasions with
the national and international awards that we've won, it's really cool to see a
film and then realize its Canadian made. It's a real sense of pride,” says
Toddske Hillier, founding member of YMMFMA.

This year YMMFMA have given the people of Fort McMurray a
voice allowing local film lovers to vote for their favorite film.

“During the month of March, we had an elimination-style
tournament on our social media pages that pitted Canadian-Made films against
one another. Due to screening rights issues, we only had a select number of
films we are able to screen through our National Film Day Sponsor, REEL CANADA.
We had to pick a list of 16 films, but it was clear from the beginning that
Gingersnaps was the crowd favorite. It's a horror film! A Canadian horror film
at that! It's a fun watch,” says Toddske.

Ginger Snaps written by Karen Walton and John Fawcett,
directed by John Fawcett, features two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in
their suburban neighborhood, who must deal with the tragic consequences when
one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.

Rated 18+, Ginger Snaps is a free event to attend. The
screening will take place at the Keyano Recital Theatre, Wednesday, April 29, 8pm-10pm.

Formed in 2012 and officially sanctioned under the Alberta
Societies Act in April of 2013, the Fort McMurray Filmmakers Association is a
Registered Non-Profit Organization dedicated toencouraging film making in the Regional Municipality of Wood
Buffalo and beyond. The group supports local film artists by providing a platform to network, share ideas, resources and most of all make films! The YMMFMA is
free to join and they welcome anyone regardless of their skill level.

“Many films made from Wood Buffalo filmmakers have gone on
to achieve great success. Cody Bown, who is from Fort McMurray but currently
living in Vancouver, had a couple of his films screened at Cannes. Kelton
Stepanowich has won many awards for his films. We've also had community members
win craft awards. It's incredible to see many community members enjoy success
in their own worlds. One of the major milestones for a filmmaker is to watch
their finished project on the big screen with an audience. We like to give a
platform for Wood Buffalo filmmakers to achieve this; whether it's through our
monthly YMM Shorts Series at Keyano Theatre, where filmmakers screen their
projects in front of a film from the Toronto International Film Festival, or
whether it's one of several competitions and film festivals we do throughout
the year, winterREELS, YMMIFF, and Film Fear. We also try to provide helpful
workshops and talks to assist filmmakers on perfecting their craft. Whether
it's through member-led workshops or having another filmmaker come to our
region. We aim to be able to provide support to filmmakers and film fans in
Wood Buffalo” says Toddske.

Thursday, 23 April 2015

MacDonald
Island Community Art Gallery invites you to their upcoming group
exhibition entitled Shift: Celebrations of Change presented by
Kirschner Family Corporation, April 28th - May 22nd, 2015.

Change
is a natural phenomenon found in every human's life over varying amounts of
time and commonly acknowledged as a personal experience. Change can also
be found outside of oneself in nature, society and other people. This
artwork celebrates the ongoing change in our lives on all levels.

Please
join us for the opening reception April 30th at 7:00pm. Enjoy a
variety of artwork by six local artists: Alexandra Kavanagh, Shell Cave,
Kritsana Naowakhun, Tamara Hannah, Frank Parsons and Treasure Cooper. Also
enjoy a live Native American Flute performance by Frank Parsons, cash bar,
snack platters and light refreshments.

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

If you love live theatre then you must attend the Alberta Drama
Festival Association Adult One Act Festival, Monday, April 27, 7pm, at the
Keyano Recital Theatre. This exciting
event features some of the best talent in Wood Buffalo. Exceptional artists
competing for five
awards categories including: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Technical
Achievement, and Best Overall Production. Winner of Best Overall Production goes
on to compete at the Provincial Festival.

The Alberta Drama Festival Association (ADFA), a volunteer
run, none for profit, was formed in

1969. With ten zones across the province
the ADFA supports community theatre in every corner of Alberta. Wood Buffalo is
a part of the North Region organized by local theatre artist Misty Oakes. Each
of the ten regions hosts a festival and from these festivals one play is chosen
by an adjudicator to represent each region at the Provincial One Act Festival.
This year the provincial festival will be held in Red Deer, Alberta.

The Most Massive Woman
Wins, written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Madeleine George, directed by
Mitchell Thorne, designed by Danna Rae Evasiuk, staring Jillian MacDonald,
Diana Moser, Jennifer Townsend, and Jillian Patton is one of the headlining
shows in this years’ festival. The
play features four women of various shapes and sizes sitting in the
waiting room of a liposuction clinic. The women reveal their experiences
dealing with their weight issues through monologues, short scenes, and even
schoolyard rhymes. From painful childhood memories to frustrations with the
opposite sex, these experiences both haunt and empower these women as they
imagine their way to a new vision of themselves as beautiful and whole.

Culture Coordinator Michael Beamish interviewed Mitchell Thorne,
Jillian MacDonald, Jennifer Townsend, and Diana Moser about
the show and what the ADFA Festival meant to them.

Michael Beamish: Why
should people come to the ADFA Festival?

Michelle Thorne: The
ADFA festival is a special event where theatre goers can see some of their
favorite local artists in a variety of roles, exploring a variety of themes and
issues not always appropriate for more large-scale productions.

Jillian MacDonald: This
is true community theatre. Our play has been a true labour of love. We are a
group of women that came together to spread a message of love and respect. Love
and respect each other and yourself. You’re worth it!

Jennifer Townsend: We
can't drag you to the ADFA fest, but I will tell you that you won't regret it
if you spend the measly $15 to show up. There is a lot of talent on that stage,
and a lot of work has been done to give you not only a show worth watching, but
an experience that will hopefully change a perspective or two.

Diana Moser: You
will connect with the story, the actors, the performance, the audience, the
creative expression. You'll have a memory of something unique in time - that's
live theatre.

Michelle Thorne: The
performances are always full of guts and heart where a few surprises are always
in store. You get an opportunity to see
two groundbreaking productions and get a chance to hear adjudication by some of
Canada’s most prestigious theatre professionals.

Michael Beamish: What
has the process been like so far?

Jennifer Townsend: It
has been heart wrenching and eye opening and given me so much. Every day we
aren't rehearsing I'm thinking about how badly I wish we were. During
rehearsal I laugh, I get angry, I cry... And then I'm exhausted. Yet at the
same time I am filled with this inexplicable energy. It really is an honour to
be in one room with five incredible ladies sharing their heart and souls.

Diana Moser: I
feel that the direction and vision has been clear and we all clicked quickly.
We all connect with this show and our characters and that comes across as we
work through it. There's been some emotional rehearsals but its’ all part of
the process. We're in this together and we're there to support each other the
whole way through.

Jillian MacDonald:
I knew most of the ladies going in, but even the ones I just met made me feel
comfortable immediately. What’s so beautiful about this cast is that we knew
we’d have to be vulnerable throughout this process. We've been there
for one another and in a very short period of time have solidified bonds
that will last a lifetime.

Michelle Thorne: Everyone
involved is so dedicated and committed and it has been so inspiring; watching
the actresses bring it every run we do and the incredible work Danna Rae has
put into the design and tech encourages me to make sure I am always on my game
as to not let anyone else down. It has been a very amazing process where each
person ups the stakes not by force, but by example. We have also had some
incredible help from other members of the community such as the amazing Zenon
Campbell who built our set for us, and ACWB who has very generously provided
rehearsal space.

Jillian MacDonald:
This is a true community theatre production. We've been rehearsing
where ever we can find space. Between ACWB, people’s houses, Westwood High
School… don’t be surprised if you find use going through a line run in the
middle of a pub! There have been tons of ups and downs…
and I've loved every second of it. You know when you’re a part of
something special. I've felt that since day one.

Michelle Thorne: We
are all volunteering our time so to have 6 women not only willing but excited
to give up their precious free time to dedicate to this show is beyond amazing.This has been a phenomenal process. It
is a true gift to have a relationship like Danna Rae and I have. She is the Paul Simon to my Art Garfunkle,
and I don’t think I would be able to work without her. I have loved this script
for years and when Danna Rae responded to it as positively as she did I knew we
had to make it happen. We have been blessed with the most incredible cast any
director could ask for. I did not hold auditions as I had pretty clear ideas in
my mind which actresses I wanted to play each role. There are countless
brilliant performers in our community and I am so lucky to have 4 of the best.

Michael Beamish: What
has the show given you as artists?

Diana Moser: The
chance to work with people I haven't yet before and to learn from them. The
show is small and intimate, and even though it is short, there is so much
emotion and depth in the characters. I've learned so much about myself as an
actor and it is wonderful to get to know more creative and interesting people.
It's another step on my journey.

Michelle Thorne: This
show has given me an incredible opportunity to work with and bring together
some insanely talented people. This show
has also given me an opportunity to cast actors in some really great
characters; characters with a lot of layers and depth which is always a treat
for any performer. One of the best parts of directing is watching your actors
plunge head first into their characters and create these really fascinating and
genuine people who are so captivating.

Jillian MacDonald: I’m
so grateful that Michelle saw something in me to play this character. Cel (my
character) is the polar opposite to me in every way – but I can relate to her
feelings of insecurity. I feel privileged to tell her story; no matter how
different and misunderstood she is. That’s a huge responsibility and one I
don’t take lightly. With any show, this has given me the opportunity to express
my creativity and share a message.

Jennifer Townsend: It's
funny how I have training as an actress, but am able to take so much away from
this experience. Being vulnerable was always something I knew had to be done in
Theatre, but never have I been able to share this much of myself in one show.
It taught me to be brave, and to remember that your cast members are always
there to lift you up.

Michael Beamish: What
does this show mean to you as women?

Diana Moser: I
think as women we want to be "strong", so we do what we think we have
to in order to be whatever that is, but it's in acknowledging our fears, what
we think make us weak, that gives us a better understanding of what strong is.

Michelle Thorne: I
believe women today set an unrealistic standard of perfection for themselves, as
well as a very boring, one-note definition of “beauty”. What we forget is that each of us is unique
and it is within our uniqueness that true beauty lays.

Diana Moser: It's
being aware of yourself and listening to yourself, as hard as that can be
sometimes.

Jennifer Townsend:
Whatever issues I had with my self-image, and not even just my BODY image, have
subsided. I need to choose to see myself as beautiful in every way if I want
the ladies all over the world to feel the same. And ladies, YOU ARE GORGEOUS.

Michelle Thorne: Being
involved in this show has asked me to question the impossible standards I set
for myself and where I need to break down my own walls and barriers that keep
me from seeing my own beauty; why is it we always see beauty in others and
never in ourselves? I believe the messages and themes in this show are
important for women of all ages, shapes & sizes and also for men as well.

Jillian MacDonald: I
think that every human can relate to this show on some
level. We've all felt insecure and not good enough at some point
in our lives. Society has become so judgmental. We are judged by the number of
likes we get and we've forgotten that who we are on the inside is
what really matters.

Michelle Thorne: We need to spend more time loving ourselves
and less time criticizing.

Jennifer Townsend: This
show has made me HAPPY. I am fulfilled from working with the incredible women I
get to work with in rehearsals. I've realized that all of us ladies everywhere,
fat, thin, young, old, we are ALL struggling with ourselves and we don't need
to be.

Diana Moser: This
show is about women starting on their own personal journeys of this discovery
and that really speaks to me.

Jillian MacDonald: It's taught me to embrace our differences
instead of alienating each other because of them. We all have a story.

Michael Beamish: What
can the audience expect?

Michelle: A
unique, fast paced blend of realism and surrealism, thought provoking themes
and questions, and incredibly real and passionate performances by four very
brave local actresses.

Jillian
MacDonald: I think the audience can expect to laugh, cry, gasp, and
celebrate. It’s raw. The stories of these women will cut you to the core. This
show really covers a lot in a short amount of time. So jump into your seats and
enjoy the ride!

Diana Moser: Stories
that are familiar, in one way or another. I think each of us, whether man or
woman, has gone through many of the emotions in this play sometime in our
lives. Plus there's some really cool technical design and actors who are
pouring their hearts out on stage.

Jennifer Townsend: THE
AUDIENCE SHOULD EXPECT TO BE BLOWN AWAY. I hope they change their minds in
regards to how they view themselves as well as how they view others. Judgments
should be reserved for...no where. Shut up about your thighs touching. Stop
looking at your so-called flabby arms, and start realizing how much you've
accomplished, what you're capable of, and how EXTRAORDINARY you are.

The Most Massive Woman
Win’s, playing as part of the ADFA, Adult One Act Festival, Monday, April
27th, 7pm, Keyano Recital Theatre. Tickets $15.00 available at the
Keyano Box Office, 780-791-4990, or online, www.keyano.ca/theatre.

Thursday, 16 April 2015

Abandin in All Hope has been entertaining audiences for
over 12 years. Their sound defies any one genre and can roughly be described as
a mixture of punk, sak and rock. They truely are in a category of their own escaping
all labels except for one; they are a Fort Mac Band. Three of the band members
grew up in McMurray, all four work in Wood Buffalo and three of the band
members continue to call this place home.

Culture
Coordinator, Michael Beamish, sat down with drummer Steve Crowe to discuss twelve
years of being a proud Fort Mac band.

Michael Beamish: Abandin in All Hope has been together
for a long time now-

Steve Crowe: Since 2003.

MB: Who were the original band members?

SC: Me, Darren Ehler, Tyler Goudreau and
Justin Pearce. Justin left around 2005 and then we got Joey Delusong. Joey
played with us from 2005-2010 but then left the band and moved to Edmonton. Then
we had a dude named Matt who played with us for a year and now we have Kenny,
Kenny Fitzpatrick. So it’s just that one spot that we can’t keep. I’m not
blaming them, I’m blaming us. It’s not you it’s us.

MB: So what has 12 years in the music
industry been like?

SC: We’ve always been and remain
independent. Recording our own albums, promoting ourselves, booking our own
shows, and making our own music.

MB: Why is that?

SC: There are a lot of companies that call
you up with these promises, “Oh we just want to work for you, get your stuff
out there, and blah-blah-blah BUT YOU are going to have to pay us”. If they
really wanted to help us they would take the risk.

MB: How do you promote yourselves?

SC: Touring obviously would be the number
one option. It gets us out to different areas, meet new people. Face to face
time. We try to do the computer thing. Social media and the different websites.
You know YouTube and all that.

MB: What is your highest selling album to
date?

SC: Victims
of Mockery. It was a 2007 release.

MB: Describe your band in one or two
sentences.

SC: That’s impossible. I don’t know, I get
it all the time…I don’t know what to say…I guess it is like legit people
playing music, no alterative motives you know.

MB: You guys sing a lot about Fort Mac.

SC: Yep. A product of the environment I
suppose.

MB: How has Fort McMurray influenced your
music?

SC: The struggles of living here have made
their way into our lyrics. There are different issues we deal with here than
people in New York or Los Angeles.

MB: What kind of issues do you think
people struggle with most here?

SC: Rent. Cost of rent. That is a big one
here. Especially when it first did a big jump. It really hurt us.

MB: So what song reflects that?

SC: Lasso, there is a little bit in there
about the price of rent. The song is also about how the town is kind of like a
lasso. Yah know, like Tyler has moved away but he keeps coming back.

MB: For work?

SC: Yeah, he lives in Edmonton now but works
thirty minutes away from Anzac. Even though he lives in Edmonton he still works
here. He’s here most of the time. There was a point in our lives where
everybody was trying to buy houses. We were all 20-25 year olds. I don’t think
people deal with that so much in other places you know. Like half a million
dollar mortgages or million dollar mortgages at the age of 23. “Just finished
my music degree and I am going to take out a loan for $790,000”.

MB: Your songs mostly deal with having to
work. Working life.

SC: Yeah. Work, life, the basics of human
life. Songs about the pressure from parents who don’t want you to play music. Want
you to go get the “good job” right off the bat right. There is stuff like that.
It’s hard to say. Tyler would be the one to ask about that.

MB: So for you guy’s music is an outlet
from your day jobs and the struggles here?

SC: Kind of but we do take it more serious
than that. Music is not a job but it’s more than a hobby. It’s the other part
of life. Everybody has to go to work and I’m sure everybody goes home and does
something that they want to do. Music is what we do.

MB: So who is your audience?

SC: At this point I feel like we have a
bit of a cult following.

MB: And who’s in the cult?

SC: You know it’s not like it’s not
popularized. It’s not mainstream. We are at the point where the band is like
four different sub-genres of like four different sub-genres.

MB: What would those sub-genres be?

SC: Well under the umbrella of let’s call it
Alternative Music. You go down that list of different types of Alternative and
then find Rock Music and Punk Music and Ska Music and then from there you break
that down a little more and we would be in the Skate Punk, Ska with no horns
that play Rock Music. So it’s very specific and I also think that is the
trouble too right.

MB: That you don’t fit into a genre?

SC: Yeah, if we played something that
sounded like somebody else I would have an easier time marketing our band. I
would have a way easier time because people when say, “What do you sound like?”
I’m always like, “Ah … I don’t really know”. We even joke around about it. We
were joking about it last night. We were on Spotify and we looked up our band and
it gives you similar artists. Every single similar artist sounds nothing like
our band. Not even close. Completely different styles of music.

MB: That’s great though.

SC: It’s ok but from a marketing
standpoint it’s impossible, you know what I mean, because you want to be like, “Oh
if you like them you’re going to like us” but if you like the bands who they
compare us to, like Avenge Sevenfold was one, if you Like Avenge Sevenfold then
I don’t think you’re going to like us. But apparently if you like us you’re
going to like them I don’t understand it doesn’t work out for us too well. Not
being like somebody else is a bit of a detriment to the band. I am not trying
to say we are super original or anything but it just works out. I haven’t heard
of anybody like us. I ask tons of people, “Who do we sound like?” and I haven’t
gotten any good answers. Most people say they don’t know and that’s okay
because I don’t know either. Rise Against is one that comes up fairly often and
I think that’s an ok comparison but they don’t play a lighter Ska style which
we do from time to time.

MB: But it’s not really Ska either.

SC: No.

MB: It’s punk but not so punk.

SC: Not so punk, yeah, you can see what
I’m saying. Who do we market to? Who’s our audience?

MB: Yeah who is your audience?

SC: I don’t know.

MB: Where do you get your biggest
followings? In Fort Mac?

SC: Umm, not necessarily. It is Fort Mac
but not necessarily in Fort Mac. It is people from Fort Mac and all the people
we grew up with in Fort Mac, who have moved all over the place. It’s kind of
nice when we go and play in different places, like when we played in Vancouver,
there were people there we knew from years ago. The whole place was like Fort
McMurray.

MB: Really?

SC: Yeah, like there must have been 30 or
40 people from Fort McMurray in that bar that night. It felt like a night at
home. It is the same when we go to Edmonton. We are playing there next month. I
looked at the Facebook group and there is 55 people from McMurray. When you go
to a bar in a different town and you see 55 of your friends it’s a pretty
interesting. We know lots of people we went to school with that now live in
Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Vancouver, you name it. I guess those are the
people that kind of took our stuff and spread it to their new groups down
there.

MB: So is that how you set up your tours?
You get connected with people that are originally from Fort Mac?

SC: Yeah. I would say in almost every
music scene in western Canada there is somebody from Fort McMurray involved.

MB: And they hook you up?

SC: Yeah

MB: They give you a call and their like
hey Steve-

SC: Yeah once in a while you know. We just
booked a couple shows next month with James Renton who is from here. He booked
us at a bar he is working at on Whyte Ave. So you know there is him and there
is another guy down the street, Rob Gilles, who used to live here. He runs the
DV8 bar and then if you even go a little further down the street, Mikey
McCaffey, is working at Wunderbar. So it’s almost every bar I feel like there
is somebody from Fort McMurray involved. There is never a shortage of people we
grew up with or know.

MB: Does the band grow every year or does
it kind of go up and down?

SC: Yeah it kind of plateaus and then it, you know. There are
points where we don’t play for a long time and then people are like oh I didn’t
even know they still played.

MB: Oh really? And then you pick it up again.

SC: Yeah. You just keep on going yah know. I don’t know what
to say about it really. There have been points though where people just didn’t
even think we were still going. Yeah, it’s always there.

MB: So what’s the future of the band? Where do you guys see
it going?

SC: I’m not sure. Work has really taken over in some ways.
Like Darren is now on at Suncor. Tyler is with PCL but working out at camp. He
just took a staff position out there.

MB: So probably no big tour this summer?

SC: If there is it’s going to be one in the fall when the
album is good and ready. Yah no summer
tour it doesn’t look like. Tyler is on 14 and 7 so when he gets off he goes
home and by the time he gets up here and we get going, tours done, he’s got to
go back to work.

MB: Wow, so it really is a Fort Mac band.

SC: Yeah I guess eh.

MB: Everyone works at site and everyone has a mortgage.

SC: Yeah, it’s true. Except for Kenny.

MB: Oh really?

SC: Yeah, he is good though. He grew up in Saprae Creek and
went to Comp. He is quite a bit younger than us. He was in a local band when we
first started. He and his bandmates were all 13 years old at the time. We played
this Future Fest concert with them up at Westwood Theatre. They played a
similar style to us so we reached out to them and were like, “Hey guys if you
need any help or anything we are here to help”. We did some recordings for
them, helped them, and showed them what to do like promoting the band and all
that. Then they moved away. Years later they actually helped us out with a
recording in Vancouver. Kenny and Shane from that band were living there working
at a studio and they had us down. We tracked the drums, guitars and everything.
Then Kenny moved to Halifax to go with his parents who had just retired there.
Then our guitarist Matt, moved away and we thought oh man it would be nice to
have somebody closer to home, so we got a guy from Halifax. The good thing was
Kenny moved back here. He moved back here to play with the band.

MB: So is he working on site too?

SC: No, he works at what is it called? Lone Wolfe? You know
when you go into the bathrooms and there is like the soap dispenser stuff? They
say Lone Wolfe on there. Kenny drops off the soap. He does deliveries for all
the different companies in town.

MB: Is there a favorite tour or a favorite show that sticks
out to you in all of your 12 years?

SC: I don’t know. They all blend together at a certain point.
There are so many. We kind of do the same kind of concentric circle all the
time. Fort Mac, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver, Saskatoon…I guess if I
had to pick one, the one with Joey, it was like a ten day one. Most of them are
ten days. That was the one where Joey got his tattoo, I don’t know if you
remember that one?

MB: No, I don’t know that story.

SC: Okay, I will try to retell it as best I can. Me and Tyler
watched that movie Wild Hogs, do you
remember when that came out? It’s a ridiculous movie, it’s really funny. There
is a nerdy character in it and it was played my William H. Massey, and he was
like a computer nerd kind of biker guy. So anyways he shows up for their biking
road trip and he says, “Hey guys I got a tat!” He pulls up his sleeve and it’s
the old Apple logo with the rainbow from I don’t know, 1986. So, me and Tyler,
were kind of joking around when we were driving and Joey was probably snoring
his head off in the back. Tyler made me a deal that he would buy me a Mac Book
if I could convince Joey to get the apple tattoo. The old school, rainbow,
apple tattoo. So we were driving and it was an overnight drive.

MB: What were you driving?

SC: The old camper van.

MB: Like a Winnebago?

SC: It was a van with the conversion with the top bunk and
everything. It was a pretty nice van but the brakes were clearly failing. It
was two in the morning, in the mountains, in the dark, we were going down these
hills and the whole van was shuttering. So we decided that we better pull over
in Kamloops and see if somebody could fix it. We get to Kamloops at like 5 in
the morning and rolled the van into a brake place. We were sitting there
waiting for it to open and that’s when I started on Joe. Kind of like, “Yah
know man what would be really cool dude? You should get a tattoo”. I spent
hours working on him. We checked the van in at like eight in the morning and we
started walking around downtown Kamloops. I continued working on Joey and I was
getting him pretty pumped up about it. He thought the idea of the apple tattoo
was great. It was so weird, we found this new age bookstore that just happened
to do tattoos.

MB: What?

SC: Right?

MB: A bookstore that does tattoos?

SC: Some lady owned this bookstore and her boyfriend that had
just moved there from New Zealand was tattooing in the back. So anyways we went
in and asked him how much is this going to cost and blah, blah, blah. I had
Joey fully pumped up and ready to go. He goes in, sits down, and says this is
what I want. The guys goes, “Alright where do you want it?” And Joey points to
his neck and says, “Right here”. At this point I am freaking out. We can’t do
this to him this is a joke. We can’t let him get that tattoo on his neck!
Luckily the tattoo guy talked him out of it and he settled for having it on his
love handle. The idea being that if he had his shirt off and he was swimming he
could put his hands down by his sides like this and nobody would see it.
Ridiculous. So, he gets the tattoo. It’s funny too cause we are in BC and we
are on tour, obviously were planning on swimming, waterslides, or whatever it
may be, boating. We could get up to anything but now Joey is out of commission
because he has a bag on his side. Tattoo can’t get wet for like three, four
days right. Just in time for the tour to get finished. The best part was we
finished playing the shows, we drive home and we

arrive in Edmonton. There used
to be a movie theater on 99th. I forget what it’s called but they
played movies that were already gone from the theaters for like $3 or something.
So we are driving home. It was me, Tyler and Joey on our way back to either
Joey’s or Tyler’s place in North Edmonton. We drove past the theatre and I was
like, “Dude its playing Wild Hogs!” This can’t be more perfect. This is the
last night of the tour. So we convince Joey to go watch it and he’s like, “Oh
no you guys have already seen it why would you want to go watch it again?” So
we convinced him that it was so great that we had to go see it again in the
theater because DVD doesn’t do it justice. So we brought Joey in to see the
movie and it was hilarious. As soon as the part in the movie came where the guy
rode up on the bike and said, “I got a tat!” He looked at us and he was like, “Seriously
are you f@#$ing serious!?” And the whole theater was like, “What is going on?”
The worst part about it was the scene happens about 15 minutes in so we had to
sit there with him fuming mad for the entire film. When we left the theater Joey
was ranting that there was going to be a lifetime of payback for me and Tyler.
Yeah that was pretty good.

MB: Did Tyler actually buy you that laptop?

SC: No. He never did.

MB: He owes you.

SC: Yeah, he does…That’s Joey though. He wasn’t the hardest
guy to convince to do anything, ever. It was fun. So that was probably the funniest
tour.

MB: So what do you love about playing music? Or just playing
in general?

SC: That’s hard to say. I never think about that. What do I
love about it?

MB: Is it being on stage or is it just being with the group?

SC: That’s fun too. Yeah. I don’t know there are lots of
things about it that are ok. That’s a tough one. Anybody ever asked you that? What
do you like about acting?

MB: The connection with the audience.

SC: OK. Put me down for that. I guess so. What else? Getting
your friends to get tattoos.

MB: So it’s the tours?

SC: Yeah. Stupid stuff right.

MB: So it’s being with the group, the guys?

SC: Yeah. It’s like a little club that just keeps hanging out
way past when we should. I think we are all supposed to be married and have
houses and stuff. Same old. What is it? Not wanting to grow up?

MB: You do have houses.

SC: That’s true.

MB: So you guys never set out to change music?

SC: Change the music industry?

MB: Yeah.

SC: No.

MB: Do you have a political message?

SC: That’s a huge undertaking.

MB: It’s just been about hanging out and singing about where
you’re from?

SC: Yeah I guess and if it perhaps did eventually change
things then great that’s fine.

MB: That’s hilarious, you became unique by not trying to be
anything. That’s awesome.

SC: Yeah. What can you do right? If you have that kind of a
lofty goal to change something like a billion dollar industry, how are you
going to pull that off? Has anybody ever done that? There have been people that
have come out and said that. “We’ve change the face of music!” Did you? I don’t
think they ever really did, no. It’s just a big machine that keeps chugging
along. It brings people along for the ride sometimes. There is not much else
you can do with it really. They will do what they want to do and I guess we
will just continue doing what we want to do. What is the record industry? It’s
a ton of companies that have a bunch of money. Sometimes they will throw you a
bunch of money and say, “Try and make us more”. For every act they probably
sign it’s probably one in ten that actually does well but their costs have to
go to recoup all the money they lost on the other nine. I don’t think the bands
do that well. It’s pretty rare when bands actually get rich compared to the
record companies. A few have succeeded. When a company signs a band they don’t
really give them a payment it is more like a loan with unlimited interest-forever.
They will give you $100,000 to record a record but then the company gets every
cent of that for eternity. The only thing you get is, what, your royalties-maybe.
If a band would put out that record themselves they would be making a lot more
money.

MB: Which is what you guys do?

SC: Yeah but we don’t have any money so it backfired. Which
is fine.

MB: But you have remained independent.

SC: Hmm. Yep. I think NOFX is a good model
for how he managed to make his empire. He did a pretty good job at trying to
change the music industry but I don’t think it really changed much. But the way
he did it is different, which is good. He does things his own way.

MB: Records himself or produces himself?

SC: Yeah he’s got his own little group of
friends and they record their own music. He doesn’t sign anybody to deals. It’s
always just one album at a time. You could bring him your next album and he
might not like it so he might not put it out, right. It’s very day to day
compared to Aerosmith who signed a 17 album deal or something like that. To get
out of that contract would be impossible. That’s like a 25 year project you
know. Imagine writing a song that you thought was amazing then bringing it to
the people in charge of putting it out and having them be like, “I don’t think
so man, try again.” And you gotta do that for 25 years! Aerosmith probably got
paid like 100 million dollars to do that. I guess that’s the tradeoff. I don’t
really know much else about it but it seems like to me, why wouldn’t you want
to be independent? Nobody has their hands in your pockets and nobody is telling
you what to do.

MB: It’s about the experience.

SC: Yeah. Just do it. Just do whatever you
want.

MB: Just do whatever you want.

SC: That’s what it’s about.

MB: I like that…Thanks for speaking with me Steve it’s been a
pleasure.